


Acting Superior

by MissScaryKitty



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Banter, Boss/Employee Relationship, Defiance, Dominance, F/M, First Order Politics (Star Wars), Hate to Love, Jealousy, Love/Hate, Office Romance, One Shot, Poe Dameron Is A Flirt, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22156717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissScaryKitty/pseuds/MissScaryKitty
Summary: You're a cocky TIE Fighter captain working on the Steadfast. Your over-confidence gets tested one day when you accidentally snap at General Hux on the bridge. He makes sure you reap the consequences and as a result you fall into the strange habit of continually getting into trouble. Tensions between you and the General only grow as the notorious Resistance pilot Poe Dameron enters the mix.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Original Female Character(s), Armitage Hux/Reader, Armitage Hux/You, Poe Dameron/Reader, Poe Dameron/You
Comments: 27
Kudos: 196





	1. Lesson Learned

**Author's Note:**

> I'm planning on adding more one-shots that are connected to this one. Just building little scenes as they come to me. Rating might go higher. Let me know if ya'll have any ideas of thing you want to see or scenarios. Love me some fellow fan prompts.

“Just leave her alone!” Your furious shout rang out over Hux’s own angry barking at your friend, Lieutenant Anu, causing the whole command deck to fall dead silent. Realizing your terrible mistake, your hands made to fly to your mouth of their own accord, but stopped just short of your chest before you forced them back to your sides.  
What had you done? You thought to yourself, shocked by your own behavior. Perhaps all those dog fights in your TIE Fighter had made you too cocky. Bantering with the General when it was invited was one thing, but calling him out on the bridge was absolutely intolerant behavior. You really screwed up this time. Sure you’d seen him go off on coworkers before. But today, watching him yell at one of the only people you considered a friend, caused you to snap.  
Hux, having to cut his beratement short by your shouting, slowly turned from Anu to face you. His jaw was firmly set and his green eyes were all fire.  
“Captain, come with me now.” He ordered firmly. Hux did not yell at you, but rather demanded in a low, dark, tone. This was far more threatening than him tearing into you right then and there. Anu stared at you from across the room, her gaze wide and afraid and you bit back the urge to ask her to wish you luck as you followed General Hux out of the room. Once you two were in the hall and the door closed behind you, Hux wasted no time in spinning around and throwing you against the nearest wall. Your back hit the machined metal lighting fixture with a hollow thud. Your heart seized in your chest, barely able to recover as Hux was nearly on top of you, slamming his hands against the wall on either side of your head. The metal grating rattled against the backlit plexiglass causing you to flinch, your hands shooting out to stop his impending assault. He was so close you could feel his hot breath on your cheek.  
Hux paused in his actions at the feel of your hands against his chest, gripping at his greatcoat and tense with the urge to push him off of you. You were always willful, he thought to himself, a woman who, when pushed, always pushed back. He knew you had a good chance at slipping out of this too. If only he weren’t your superior.  
“Who is in command here, Captain?” He breathed, an errant lock of his usually perfect copper hair crested over his forehead as he bore down on you with his gaze.  
“You are, General,” you whispered, your heart pounding fiercely in your chest. You didn’t dare make a move.  
“Correct. And if I yell at one of my lieutenants for their incompetence it is your job to do what?” He demanded, his haughty voice now dangerously low.  
“Nothing,” you breathed, tilting your chin up in an attempt to stare him down in defiance. He may have been able to make you say what he wanted, but you were not going to cower in front of him. The thing was, he seemed to feed off of your defiance more than he did your submission. You were two opposing forces, slamming together at top speed.  
“If only you’d had the proper discipline to exercise the same judgement on the command deck,” he sneered, looking you over in mock assessment. “I think it’s time I put that eager mouth of yours to use.”  
Your jaw suddenly dropped in shock as he said this and he actually had the gall to smirk at you in response. You were trembling now with fear and fury as he gazed down at you, his eyes flickering to your lips before snapping back up to yours. You felt a chill roll through you as he took a moment to consider your punishment before speaking again.  
“Report to the communications deck immediately, you’ll be redirecting coms for the rest of the week. Some time out of the cockpit might set you straight. Now, get your hands off of me before I have you court marshaled.” He huffed, looking down at your white-knuckled fingers balled up in his greatcoat.  
Processing what he said, you released your grip and sidestepped away from him. Straightening his uniform, Hux gave you one last withering look before returning to the bridge. You couldn’t help but notice the room was still dead silent as he entered.  
Your face was flush from the ordeal and you couldn’t shake the feeling that he absolutely meant to sound like he was propositioning you. It was an incredibly rude tactic but also one that caused you to pause and think. Perhaps the clean cut General was capable of desire after all. Even stranger to think, perhaps he found you desirable. If you were being honest, the thought that he might was thrilling. It was a dangerous thought, but one that made him seem more human. After this, you doubted you could look at him the same way. Funny how a power play on his part led to you see more chinks in his armor.  
“Damn,” you murmured, realizing you were grounded for the rest of the week. Wiping your sweaty palms on your pants, you headed to the lift and pressed the button that would take you to the communications command center.


	2. Rebel Scum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After serving out your punishment, Hux sends you on a flight mission to destroy a Resistance squadron. When you find out that Poe Dameron is leading the charge, fighting and flirting ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could not resist continuing with another one shot. I've got at least 3-4 more roughly written for this series. Most all are focused on you/Hux and you/Poe. I think there's a lot that can be explored with both relationships because they're so different in nature. I look forward to hearing what ya'll think.

The agonizingly slow week you had to spend answering calls and redirecting inhouse communications had finally ended and you were cleared to go back on flight missions. Even though time seemed to have stood still during the days you had to keep your head down and have a headset glued to your ear, the events that immediately followed felt as if they were slammed into overdrive.  
It turned out that a spy for the First Order had reported that a Resistance flight squadron was leaving Takodana on a supply run to help insurgents on the planet. You had received orders from General Hux to intercept the ships with your TIE unit and destroy them.  
When the order came down from the General you half expected him to say something biting to you due to the stunt you pulled last week on the bridge, but he didn’t. He was firm in his commands as usual but still professional. You weren’t sure if his indifference disappointed you or not. Obviously, it was best that he did not care enough to single you out. Still, he had thrown you against a wall and threatened you. The fact that he seemed not to even remember doing that irked you.  
Your TIE had been fueled up and was ready for you when you entered the hangar bay. The ground crew was scrambling about, while your pilots were entering their respective TIEs. Getting into the cockpit, you switched on the engine, checked diagnostics, disengaged the fuel pump, and headed out the air shield and into the wide expanse of space. The blue and green planet of Takodana lingered right in front of you. Last time you were here, Starkiller Base was still in one piece.  
Once all your pilots reported in, you led them around the other side of the planet to the coordinates the spy had provided. It wasn’t long until you saw eight X-wing fighters in the distance. The intel the spy gave was correct.  
“Alright, all units on me. I’ve got a visual on the Resistance fighters dead ahead. Prepare to engage.” You told your comrades.  
They all answered you in an affirmative before you led your squadron into the dog fight. The Resistance had not been expecting you, however, the tight defense they mounted showed that they weren’t just some ragtag band. It was no matter, though, your unit would cut through them like Ren’s lightsaber through a console.  
Dodging a volley of fire, you shot across the nose of one of the X-Wings and was able to make out the familiar insignia on the helmet of the pilot inside. It seemed that, once again, you had engaged the infamous Poe Dameron.  
You ordered your droid to splice into the X-Wing’s comm system- a wicked smile tugging at your lips as the connection to the rebel pilot on the other end was made.  
“Hello Dameron, it’s been a few cycles. No ski speeder this time? I’m disappointed.” You mercilessly teased him, referring to his pathetic defense in the Battle of Crait.  
“(L/N),” You heard Poe address you through the comm. He sounded a bit harried from being caught off-guard by your squadron. “Always a pleasure.”  
Over the years, exchanging sharp banter as you tried to blow one another out of the sky became somewhat of a game for you. It was like a shot of adrenaline every time you were able to chicken fight the most notorious pilot in the Resistance. Of course, there was fear there too, knowing it could be your last flight. Something about those high stakes only made it more exhilarating.  
“I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time,” you said, clipping the wings of one of his squadron’s ships.  
“Nah, I need a little target practice,” he replied before firing on you.  
Gritting your teeth, you veered out of the way of each plasma bolt. “You’re losing your touch, Dameron.”  
Poe performed a death roll as you doggedly pursued him towards Takodana’s atmosphere. The skirmish lighting up the star scape around you hardly seemed to exist at this point. This fight was just you and him.  
“You know, (L/N), you have a very sexy comm voice.” Poe quipped, half joking. “Perhaps, when you’re not shooting at me, we could grab a drink sometime?”  
You let out a rich-toned laugh, highly amused by the ridiculousness of what he was saying. “I’d sooner eat a blaster bolt.”  
“Come on, Captain. You’re smiling right now aren’t you?” He pressed before shooting down a TIE that flew in range. The debris from the wrecked ship skipped across the atmosphere causing it to explode. This man was incorrigible, you thought.  
You smirked, expertly rolling your ship and catching his X-wing in your crosshairs once more. “Only at your stupidity, Dameron.”  
You fired several shots but he was already a step ahead of you, dipping downwards and barely escaping getting his left engines cooked.  
“So, I do have a chance,” He exclaimed.  
“I didn’t say that,” You snapped.  
“Yeah I know. But maybe you meant it,” he told you putting the final verbal nail in your coffin. “Get home safe now, (L/N).”  
Suddenly, Poe shut his thrusters off causing him to abruptly slow down and you to shoot past him, allowing him to create an opening in your defense. You gasped in a moment of panic as he fired on you, thrashing your right wing panel.  
“Wha- you bastard!“ You yelled furiously, trying to regain control of your ship and get out of his firing range.  
Without another word, Poe jumped to lightspeed, leaving you there to flounder. The rest of the remaining X-Wings did the same. The fight was over.  
Your heart pounded hard in your ears as you stared into the empty patch of space where his ship had made the jump. You came to the realization he wasn’t going to finish you off and a wave of relief washed over you. He had the chance, though, and he didn’t take it. You had to wonder why. If it were the other way around and you had showed him even an ounce of mercy, it would have been your head. He had to have known that. You supposed you may never get the chance to understand why.  
Even though Poe had spared you, it still didn’t change the fact that you had to get back to the Steadfast before your ship exploded from engine fire. That alone was a big if. You immediately commanded your droid to start making repairs to the ship.  
“She’s just got to hold together a little bit longer,” you murmured.  
“Captain (L/N),” you heard General Hux speak to you through your comm. “I order you to return to the Steadfast now.”  
Your heart dropped into your stomach. Hux was not just angry, he was furious. Glancing at your comm system you clapped your hand over your mouth in horror as you realized you had been broadcasting your entire conversation with Poe to the bridge. You were a dead woman.


	3. In the Deep End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've really done it now. Things raise to a head once Hux sends you to reconditioning and shows up himself to see that it gets done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter got more steamy than I originally thought it would. It's still not a mature rating yet but that seems to be the direction these chapters are heading so just be aware.

You tried to keep calm as you made your way to the Reconditioning Center. However, the closer you got, the more terrified you became. Technically, you had voluntarily joined the First Order and never had to go through the conditioning process the Troopers did, just flight school and officer training. However, you knew that it was akin to torture. Especially in disciplinary cases.  
It had taken a bit of luck and skill to get your TIE back to the Steadfast, but once you had returned you were ordered to immediately head to reconditioning. Though you were hot and sweaty from battle, you did not dare unzip or alter any portion of your flight suit other than removing your helmet. You had to look as professional as you could in this case. You didn’t need to give General Hux or the technicians in reconditioning anymore reasons to tear into you.  
Everyone on the bridge during the skirmish was probably certain you had lost your mind. You couldn’t imagine what your friend Anu was thinking. If the looming threat of torture wasn’t hanging over your head, you were sure she might have found it hilarious.  
When you entered the Reconditioning Center, a long-faced, white-haired man in a grey medical uniform led you down a hallway with numbered rooms. He stopped in front of the one labeled number 12. Pressing a code into the keypad, the brushed metal door slid open with a hiss revealing an exam table and several nefarious looking machines inside. The sight gave you a start. Your head snapped over to look at him and the technician callously told you to go inside.  
Though it went against every one of your instincts to listen to him, you knew you had no choice. Taking a deep breath, you crossed over the threshold. Once you did, the door slid shut behind you and the auto locks clicked into place.  
There was no chrono in the room, but you felt like you had been waiting for a while. You had finally decided to stop pacing the floor and sit on the exam table when the door slid open revealing General Hux, of all people, on the other side. You immediately pushed yourself off the table to stand at attention as he entered. This was wholly unexpected.  
He looked you up and down with that ever-present air of disgust, the door shutting behind him.  
“So now you’re silent?” He asked, his tone mocking. “You seemed to have quite a lot to say during the flight mission.”  
You hardly knew how to respond. Whatever you said was sure to be the wrong thing.  
“Sir, I was merely-“  
“The entire bridge heard you flirting with that Resistance filth!” He yelled, barely able to keep from storming up to you and slamming you into the exam table he was so angry. “Are you trying to get demoted, Captain? Or do you just enjoy blatantly flouting First Order regulations to my face?”  
“Sir, I can’t help what Dameron says to me.” You defended yourself, even though you knew you were fully indulging in Poe’s flirtations.  
“Then you shouldn’t be splicing into his network to goad him. This isn’t a game, Captain, it’s war. Do you understand that? You insipid girl!” He snapped, his biting tone smarting as he insulted you. At this point, you had reached your quota of how much abuse you were willing to take. You were going to be tortured anyway, you might as well do something to earn it. The next words out of your mouth were the killing stroke.  
“Perhaps you’re jealous that Dameron doesn’t have to threaten a woman to get her to notice him, General.”  
There was a painful stretch of silence in which Hux fully processed the unbelievable impudence of what you just said. At this point, the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. It was hard to breathe.  
“Would you like to repeat that, (L/N)?” He asked, his voice dangerously low. The fire raging in his green eyes threatened a wrath you could not begin to imagine but you were committed and couldn’t stop now.  
“You heard what I said.” You replied bravely, your shaking tone barely above a whisper as you stared him down. He was damn-well aware of what he said to you in the hall last week and you weren’t going to let it slide.  
Hux swiftly crossed the few feet of oil slick black floor between the two of you in three long strides. Your breathing caught in your throat and your heart pounded violently against your ribs as you forced yourself to stay put and not stumble backwards into the exam table behind you. The man was radiating heat and the way he was looking at you, so frustrated and bothered, sparked something primal inside of you. Shockingly you realized, maybe you wanted his hands on you.  
Hux, being a good bit taller, leaned over you, those eyes searching your face for fear as he asserted dominance over you. What he found in your eyes was raw, unbridled, emotion that would cause anything in its reach to catch fire. He, most frustratingly, found he was not immune to it either.  
“Every time you open your mouth, you invite disaster upon yourself.” Hux murmured, his voice low as his eyes dipped down to where they shouldn’t.  
Unable to stop yourself, you formed your heady reply. “Don’t tell me you’re going to put it to good use, General.”  
Hux was stunned, not only by your boldness but by what seemed to be an invitation from you.  
“Not at all,” he told you as he looked down at your mouth, desire swimming in those sharp eyes- that same desire you knew was there that day he confronted you in the hall.  
Your heart pounded wildly as you felt his leather-clad fingers brush against the delicate column of your neck. Only a few minutes ago, you would not have been surprised if he encircled your throat and tried to wring the life out of you- hell, he may have still wished to do that. Instead his fingers slowly crept up your neck and softly traced over your smooth jawline as he tilted your head up to look at him. Your breath caught in your throat as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip. A jolt of pleasure shot straight to your center as you opened up to him on instinct and he slipped the tip of his finger inside your mouth. You could hardly believe this was happening- that you wanted this as badly as you did.  
Hux’s breathing had become more labored, his pupils blown wide like yours as he worried his thumb over your soft flesh a moment longer before removing it.  
“Gen-“  
Before you could get his title out, Hux roughly pulled you against him, holding fast to you as he claimed your lips in a devouring kiss. That was the only way to describe it; devouring. You responded with equal fervor, balling your fists in his greatcoat like you had the day he pinned you against the wall. His gloved hand gripped tightly at the roots of your hair as his other pressed on the small of your back to keep you flush against his already growing arousal. The feel of it pressed against your abdomen drew out a needy moan from deep inside of you.  
You felt his tongue against your lips, demanding entrance as he hurriedly backed you against the cold metal of the exam table. As you opened your mouth to him, you began to feel a sense of dread begin to fill you. You realized he wasn’t just going to let you go after this. This was General Hux, a man without mercy. Even after you two finished whatever this was, he would put you through reconditioning anyway. He’d strip you of everything, and leave you nothing but your skin and bones. Finally, you caught hold of your senses and turned your head away from him, a desperate protest on your swollen lips.  
“Stop,” you begged, pushing on his chest. Although he was confused by your sudden change of heart, he did relinquish his hold on you.  
“Send in the technician to torture me already. Brainwash me and get it over with,” you demanded, your voice breaking near the end.  
You knew he could do whatever he wanted, especially behind a locked door, but you hoped he would take even the smallest bit of pity on you and leave you to your punishment.  
Hux tried to control his heavy breathing as he took in the building resentment and fear in your eyes. There was anger there too from allowing yourself to be taken advantage of by a superior. He realized you thought he was going to use you for his pleasure and then throw you to the wolves. Hux supposed he could not blame you for thinking that. There were many within the higher ranks of the First Order who would do just that. If he was being perfectly honest, he wasn’t exactly sure if he wasn’t one of them. But looking at you now, panting from his kisses and desperately clinging to what little shreds of defiance you had left, he could only feel anger at himself for being so damn weak.  
“Get out,” he growled, hardly able to put any tone of authority behind his words. “You’re suspended until further notice.”  
You looked at him in shock. Was he really saying what you thought? As you looked at him, he did not seem to waver in his conviction. He then turned towards the door and typed the passcode into the keypad, opening it for you.  
You ran a shaking hand through your mussed hair before leaving the exam room.  
It wasn’t until you made it back to the tiny room afforded to you as a ranking captain that you finally crumpled to the floor in a heap. You could hardly make sense of everything that just happened. Instead of trying, you just focused on breathing normally again. But that was the problem. After this, how was anything ever going to be normal again?


	4. This Cannot Continue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> General Pryde makes his entrance and you find Hux a little worse for wear.

You wanted to put a buffer between yourself and General Hux after the heated encounter you had with him in the exam room. Regardless of how you felt about it, you knew it was a mistake that could not be repeated. But then you remembered his hands on you, leaving trails of fire in their wake, and you had to convince yourself all over again that this was the right course of action.  
Your plan was simple, keep your head down and steer clear from him. If you were just a voice through a comm, another faceless drone following orders, you couldn’t put yourself in another compromising position. Still, you remembered his demanding kiss, as hot and heavy as his temper, and it made you flush with arousal. The situation had gone beyond a fleeting fantasy and had become torturously real. He had broken the rules and, in many ways, you felt the urge to seal both your fates. You wondered if he felt the same desire.  
Your plan to lay low had worked perfectly for some weeks then something wholly unexpected happened that changed everything. Supreme Leader Kylo Ren had instated a new head of his military forces: Allegiant General Pryde. Not only did you feel a twinge of sympathy for Hux for losing position as top of command, but you were also shocked to hear this particular name. It was very familiar to you. He was a general from the era of Imperial rule which your family had close ties with. Your mother, the ruthless matriarch that she was, held him in high regard. Even if you hadn’t known what a serpent he was before, your mother’s praise of him was enough for you to keep your distance. However, that was not going to happen. Your name was on roster and he had caught that little detail within the first week of his arrival. The (L/N) family name would never have gone overlooked by a power-hungry opportunist like him.  
He had trapped you one day in the turbo lift- at least it felt like he trapped you. He had stepped on board at the last minute, the doors closing behind him as he stiffly turned around. His expression was laser focused on the door in front of him until his steely gaze made contact with yours.  
“Captain (L/N), yes?” He asked.  
You gave a nod, your eyes avoiding his. “Correct, Allegiant General.”  
“It’s good to see there are still some members of Imperial loyalist families left in the First Order. Though, looking at you, I can assume you are too young to have lived under Imperial rule much less remember it.” He practically sighed.  
“That’s correct, Sir.” You told him without bothering to tell him your exact age. You knew he’d find any detail about yourself beyond what he was specifically asking tedious.  
“That’s what I thought. Still, your family’s name counts for something,” he told you, his brow raising as he looked down his nose at you. “How is your mother these days?”  
There was a long, pregnant pause. Your jaw tightened in visceral distain at the mention of your mother. You decided to keep your answer simple and direct.  
“I don’t talk to my mother anymore,” you informed him.  
You could have sworn you heard Pryde sniff in amusement. Whether he understood your reasoning as to why or just thought you were being childish was unclear.  
“It’s a shame, there’s still wisdom in the old regime. I wouldn’t dismiss it if I were you.”  
Before you could discern the intentions of his words, the doors to the lift opened and he stepped out with a curt farewell.  
You repeatedly jammed your finger against the button that closed the door. That conversation, if it could be called one, left you feeling on edge. It was almost like being home again- that looming, suffocating, feeling. Now you had more than one reason to avoid high command and it was arguably a far greater one than Hux.  
The thought of the redheaded General must have been serendipity because the moment you exited the lift and headed into the loading dock to pre-flight check your TIE, you saw the man himself heading in your direction.  
Your heart froze in your chest as your feet tried to decide whether or not they were going to press on or retreat. You managed to come to a full stop and, as you did, you realized he wasn’t even looking at you. That’s when you saw the ribbon of blood trailing down his forehead and the slight limp in his step. His usually commanding gait was now uncertain from what could have very well been delirium as he slowly made his way down the hall.  
Your hands clenched at your sides as you felt a rush of worry. This was a whole different kind of dread you were experiencing. You knew whatever happened to him, it had to be the outcome of another fight with Supreme Leader Ren.  
Without another thought, you hurried over to him. You took a quick look around the hall to make sure no one else was coming then reached out and gently took his hand in yours. His green eyes, filled with the hurt and fury of an injured loth cat, immediately shot to your (E/C) ones, his whole body tensing in confusion and distrust. However, he did not pull away as you quickly led him down the docking bay and into your TIE fighter.  
Once inside, safe from prying eyes, you smacked your palm against the button to shut the cockpit door behind you. The space was tight for two people but not so much that it was too awkward. Reaching behind him, you pressed a red button next to the pilot’s chair. It swiveled around to where it was facing the two of you.  
“Here, sit down,” you told him, certain he might black out if he didn’t.  
“Tch, this is ridiculous,” he snorted haughtily.  
The general teetered slightly then managed to steady himself by holding a handgrip on the hull. Still, he made no move to sit in the chair.  
“Not everything has to be a fight, General,” You told him.  
“Says the woman who's constantly starting them,” Hux grumbled.  
“Sit,” you told him, as calmly as possible while leveling what you hoped was a stern gaze at him.  
Hux sighed in annoyance before finally doing as you asked. This gave you a small bit of relief. At least he wasn’t going to collapse onto the floor of your TIE. You didn’t think you’d be able to explain away that on to your superiors.  
Turning to your right, you opened up a small compartment near the door and pulled out a standard issue first aid kit. There wasn’t much in it, however, there were enough supplies to treat minor cuts and bruises.  
Opening the metal box, you fished out the disinfectant wipes and the bacta gel before turning back to Hux. He regarded you with a bit of a sneer when he realized you were going to treat his wounds.  
“Next you’re going to tell me that it will sting a little,” he mocked, frustrated he was even in the position of having to be tended to.  
You were certain his ego suffered more bruising than his face. Still, you ignored his snide comment and ripped open the package with the wipe.  
“This is ridiculous, I don’t need a nurse,” he snapped bitterly, pushing your hand away before trying to stand up.  
Your reaction was instinctual as you pressed him back down into the chair, your knee pressing down into the seat cushion next to his thigh. It was a very dominating position, one you thought he might rail against, but as far as you were concerned, this TIE was your domain and he was going to follow your rules. Raising the alcohol-soaked cloth to his face once more, you gently began to clean up the blood that trailed down his forehead and over the bridge of his nose.  
The fact that you had no retort to his comments except to push on in your ministrations was shocking to him. It seemed you always had something to say. However, now you were quiet and calm- fully concentrated at the task at hand. He knew you didn’t care for him in particular, but he was still shocked to see that you simply cared. Not once had anyone the Steadfast reached out to help him or anyone else before. Especially not after being punished at the hands of the Supreme Leader. They were all too scared. Shaking in their boots, all too eager to step over the broken bodies of their once-superiors to advance their own careers. But it seemed that you couldn’t help yourself. Caring was in your nature. How weak.  
“This cannot continue.” He heard you mutter this and it jostled him out of his concussion-addled thoughts.  
“It’s not as if I was trying to end up like this,” he argued weakly. There was no denying what you said was right. He might not survive the next time he disappointed Kylo Ren.  
“You need to learn when to push back,” you told him, your eyes locking onto his. He could see you were dead serious.  
“And that works for you does it?”  
“Sometimes,” you reply quietly, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. You could not help thinking about the kiss the two of you shared. “… and sometimes it doesn’t. But that’s not really the point.”  
“Then what is the point?” He sighed, fatigue edging his tone.  
His eyes slipped closed as you applied the bacta gel on his cut. The wound created a sizable egg right on his hairline. It would take some days for the swelling to go down and no doubt he had a minor concussion.  
You pursed your lips in thought as you quickly placed all of the supplies back in the med kit. Turning back to him, you offered up your answer.  
“The point is being able to live with yourself.”  
Hux’s brow furrowed as he opened those green eyes and stared into yours. You could not make out that look he gave you- it wavered somewhere between amazement and uncertainty. You felt his fingers gently graze your neck and move lower to your clothed collarbone.  
“I’ve got to go,” he whispered, suddenly pushing you upright and getting out of the chair.  
You said nothing as he exited the TIE and disappeared down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Trying to catch up on some things. Hope ya'll like it though :D


End file.
